After a few months of testing various mills (honestly, we started about the time of the SCAA conference and just finished a week ago), we have found an espresso mill we really like - the Compak K3 Elite and K3 Touch. The Elite is the version with a doser, the Touch is the same grinder in doser-less form. In practice, we tend to prefer the doserless grinders for their ease of operation and the potential to be used as a dual-purpose espresso and brewed coffee grinder, but the doser model has substantially fewer clumps, and may be a better choice for dedicated espresso users. Both Compak mills are priced at an attractive level – a step up from the Rocky, but still substantially cheaper than the Mazzer Mini. We think the Compak mills offer a great value for the money, and are really pleased with the results we are getting in the cup. It is well known that a fantastic espresso machine is nothing but overpriced eye-candy for your kitchen counter without a serious espresso mill to back it up. Some recommend budgeting more for the grinder than the actual espresso machine! With the Compak, we think you can get results similar to a Mazzer or a Macap and save a bit to spend elsewhere.

Here we offer a reprise of our very first comparison, Wet-Process versus a Pulp-Natural coffee, this time from two different Costa Rica micro-lots. With our micro-lot offerings, we have really pushed to expand the range of flavors that we experience from an origin, and I think you see that here, from the cleaner, crisper wet processed cup to a more rustic pulped natural. The Wet-Process is a refined coffee, more dynamic with vivid brightness and lighter body. The Pulp Natural has thicker body, quite evident, with fruited and chocolate backdrop to the cup and lower acidity. It shows how processing influences the final cup flavors, and helps the taster to define their palate preferences by presenting two clear differences. The Pulp Natural Lourdes de Naranjo-Genesis was roasted to City+ with final thermoprobe temperature of 425 degrees, total roast time: 15 minutes. The Wet Prcoess Helsar de Zarcero was roasted exactly the same. We hope you are enjoying comparing both similar and dissimilar coffees side by side. It is one of our favorite ways to learn about a crop and all the wonderful aspects processing can contribute to the cup. These two lots represent a couple of our favorites and have just arrived at the warehouse so if you are hip to our roast coffee pairings you are the first of our customers to try these lots, quite outstanding in my opinion.